


Remember Me

by Riniginianna



Category: Voltron: Legendary Defender
Genre: Altean Lance (Voltron), Angst, Child Death, Children, End of the World, Flashback, Galra Empire, Galra Keith (Voltron), Keith is Akira, Lance and Keith don't actually die, Lance is Azuren, M/M, Planet Destruction, Reincarnation, fall of Altea, klance, platonic klance, the Galra destroy Altea
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-05-05
Updated: 2018-05-05
Packaged: 2019-05-02 15:07:46
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,201
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14547402
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Riniginianna/pseuds/Riniginianna
Summary: During a mission, Lance and Keith stumble upon a flashback of their past lives during the fall of Altea.This story is best read while listening to the song "I See Fire" by Ed Sheeran





	Remember Me

**Author's Note:**

> For the full effect of the story, listen to I See Fire by Ed Sheeran while you read.  
> (yes I know that's hard to do on a phone, this part is optional but I feel it compliments the story, that and because it's my inspiration for the story itself.)
> 
> I didn't give any description on where Keith and Lance are rank wise in this story, as I wanted it to fit in all seasons. Keith may be a paladin or BOM, it's up to you.
> 
> Also, Keith and Lance themselves don't actually die in this.

"Lance, wait up..." Keith grumbled as he made his way through the winding tunnel, trying to keep up with the excitable teen in front of him. It was just another day, another planet, another mission, but somehow this time he had ended up with Lance. 

It wasn't that he didn't like the paladin. Quite the opposite, Lance was pretty much his best friend and closest companion other than Shiro. But sometimes he just wished the Cuban would calm down. He didn't know where Lance kept all that energy. 

He jogged ahead to catch up to the paladin, his own armor bouncing against his frame. Lance, thankfully had slowed down and was admiring the cavern they had arrived in. 

"You know we have a rendezvous to get to.." the ravenette deadpanned as he crossed his arms. Though the brunette just shrugged in reply.

"Come on Keith, it's pretty in here!" He chirped, gesturing to the small, light blue crystals, and clear turquoise water making up shallow pools.  Honestly, he wondered if he would be allowed to take a couple of the stout little rocks. Allura had advised that this place had magic, but nothing that would cause harm. There shouldn't be a problem. 

Lance strode up to one of the walls and reached out to grab one of the crystals, but his hand was batted away before he could touch it. He glanced over his shoulder to see Keith glaring at him, daring him to do it again. So he did. 

Lance smirked and reached out for the crystal once more, the expected hand batting his away from behind. "Lance, really?..." Came the seemingly unimpressed voice.  

Lance turned to face Keith and stuck his tongue out and reached out again. Keith batted his hand away yet again, but the scowl was slowly morphing into a small, lopsided smirk. "You're impossible, you know that?" 

"Yup!" Lance agreed, reaching out again, faster this time. Keith batted it away again, the two making a game of it. Lance kept going faster, trying to touch the crystals and Keith would keep his hand away. The ravenette knew they were wasting time, but though he hated to admit it. Lance's playfulness was contagious. 

As a couple minutes of the game went by, the two started laughing. Eventually Keith gave up and let the Cuban touch the crystal, ending the game. They had a job to do. 

With a smile, Keith walked towards the other end of the cavern, looking over his shoulder to see if Lance was coming. However, his face fell neutral when he saw his teammate inspecting one of the little crystals, this one was glowing. 

"Come here Keith!" The brunette beckoned, his voice betraying his curiosity. Keith indeed did come to see the crystal, when they had walked in here earlier, none of these had been alight, so why was this one? Keith reached out to touch the crystal, his curiosity getting the better of him. 

However, Lance had been reaching out as well to touch the strange crystal.  As his fingers brushed with the cool surface of the stone, he felt Keith's warm fingers against it as well. 

What happened next they were unprepared for. A jolt of energy shot through the crystal into the both of them and the world went black. 

..…

Blue eyes opened and looked around frantically, flames reflected in his irises as he scanned the destruction with a pounding heart. Altea was burning. 

Before him lay the ruins of his beloved home, rubble and fire took up almost the entire block. But what was worse was the bodies in the dirt. 

Azuren watched as his family fought with the people who they had considered friends. The galra were their enemies now. There was nothing anyone could do. He'd seen his father fall to a Galra who Azuren had known for his laugh and had even had the title of 'uncle'. His siblings and mother fought with their former comrades as the little altean child hid, holding back tears as he watched his family fall to the people he thought he could trust. 

Suddenly, he felt a hand on his shoulder, and he spun around with a shriek, tiny fists balled and ready to fight. But his arms dropped to his sides when he saw who stood there. "A-Akira?...."

The Galra boy was staring at him with a sullen gaze, setting Azuren on edge. "I-I don't want to fight you...." The altean whimpered to his best friend from birth. He'd already seen their families tear each other apart, he didn't want anyone else to get hurt. 

"I don't want to fight either.." the Galra replied, holding out his hand. Tears glistened in Akira's yellow eyes, his dusky irises contracting around his pupils in fear. "a squadron's coming for extraction...I don't want them to find you.."

Azuren nodded and took Akira's hand, letting the other child lead him away from his family for the last time. "Shouldn't you be there?..  " the Altean asked softly, trying to brush his now dirty grey hair out of his face. 

Akira hesitated before shaking his head. "no, I don't want to lea-"

"Akira!" A deep voice called, interrupting the boy and making him fall quiet. other voices joined the first as the galra family shouted their child's name, searching for him. But no one called Azuren's name. 

Akira rushed faster, Azuren struggling to keep up as he was pulled along. The tears he had been holding back were flowing now. The two boys darted over stones and fire, trying to get out of the city before they were found. Azuren tried to keep his eyes closed as much as he could, not wanting to see the bodies of his fallen people. 

Akira led Azuren out of the city limits. Dodging squadrons and Galra fleet ships. He knew that this was an evacuation. But he didn't want to leave Azuren, the Altean meant too much to him. 

The buildings faded out into burning trees and grass, all of the flora was dead. Just charred, black, skeletons of plants remained. 

The boys stumbled up the hill and ran to their old lookout spot. An outcrop of rock where they could sit and watch the city below, though now the city was decimated. 

Akira sat down and pulled Azuren into his lap, crushing him in a hug as the younger boy cried. "Why?....." Azuren whispered, voice cracking. "What did we do? Why do you hate us?...." 

Heart breaking, the Galra child pulled back just enough to look into Azuren's face. He used a violet, clawed thumb to gently brush the tears and dirt from the Altean's caramel cheeks. "I don't hate you Azuren...." He murmured. "I don't know why this happened, I'm so sorry....." 

Azuren closed those sapphire eyes and nodded slowly, curling up against the other's chest. "Are- are we going to die?...." he asked weakly, defeat lacing his words. 

Akira didn't know how to reply. He had heard that the army was going to blow the planet up. No altean would be getting out alive was the plan. There had been a ship launch earlier, but there hadn't been any life signs. Akira hoped that there had been people on the ship, he didn't want Azuren's race to die out, especially at his own people's hands. 

"Look at me Azuren..." The galra murmured softly, his arms wrapped around the other. The Altean slowly obeyed and looked up, sapphire and pearl eyes meeting amethyst and gold. 

"I know that you're scared, I am too..." Akira took a shaky breath and continued. "But I promise, I'm right here and I'm not going to leave you. Ever. Even if something happens, that won't keep me from you, do you understand?..."

Azuren nodded slowly, the movement barely visible. He knew Akira better than anyone, and he could read between the lines. "You'll remember me right?..." He whispered. "you won't forget me? Come back for me?..." 

Akira nodded and quickly pressed a small kiss on Azuren's messy cheek. This boy was one of the only people he ever showed affection to, and goodness knows they both needed some right now. "Yes Azuren. I promise, someday, we're going to be able to grow up. We'll be able to live in a place where we won't have to fight each other. I love you Azuren, I mean it..." 

The Altean smiled and kissed Akira's cheek back. "I love you too Akira....." 

As children, their meaning of love was different from what most would think. It was innocent. Pure. And in of the land of the dying, it was what they held onto. 

The boys could hear the roar of the ships taking off. Akira had to work to keep his heart rate still. He knew what was coming next. The young galra buried his face in Azuren's messy mop of silver hair, closing his eyes and feeling the other breathe against him.

He prayed with everything he had that he would remember Azuren and that the Altean would remember him in return. He didn't know what lay beyond, but he had always been a brave child, he wasn't afraid of finding out. He just wanted his friend to be by his side. That's all that mattered to him. 

Azuren heard the air grow quiet, the only sounds he could hear was the crackling of the fires that consumed the countryside, and Akira's breath in his ear. He felt the galra's arms tighten around him, as if bracing himself. The Altean followed his lead, closing his eyes and holding the other tighter. His little heart pounded when he felt a heat on his back, like a direct ray from the sun had hit the planet. 

"I love you Akira..." He whispered once more, "I'll find you...." He heard a sob as the other boy nuzzled his head. 

"And I- you, Azuren. " The Galra murmured, his voice muffled by Azuren's hair. "I love you too....." 

The boys could feel the ground tremble beneath them, as if Altea itself was terrified. Then a pulse from that sunbeam shot into the ground. Azuren and Akira didn't even know what exactly happened. But the world went black. 

.....

Blue eyes shot open as Lance gasped for breath and ripped his hand away from the crystal. He heard Keith cry out as they lost their balance and collapsed to the stone floor. It took almost a full minute to get their breathing under control. Whatever one had seen, the other knew they had seen the same thing. 

Eventually, Keith shakily got to his feet and looked around the cave. No time had seemed to gone by, though it was hard to tell in such a place. He glanced over at Lance worriedly, his own voice wavering. "Are you alright?....."

Lance nodded slowly,  getting to his knees as he looked around. "What....what was that?..." He asked to no one in particular, eyes wide. "Did we see....was that US?...." 

He glanced up at Keith, looking for answers, but the other male merely shrugged, just as thoroughly confused. 

Lance cast his eyes to the ground, trying to figure out what they had just witnessed. But a hand on his shoulder got his attention. 

Keith lowered himself into his knees and pulled the other into a hug. Lance was shocked at first, he knew Keith barely ever allowed physical contact, much less engage it, but slowly, the Cuban returned the embrace and buried his face in the ravenette's shoulder. 

"You think that really was us?..." Came the husky voice of the violet eyed male.  Lance hesitated a moment before nodding, somehow he just knew. 

Pulling back a bit, Lance gave a small smile as he tried to make light of this new information. "Y-yeah, I think.....I think it is..." He replied softly. "I guess we managed to find each other again...right?...." 

Keith nodded with a small smile of his own and stood up, helping Lance to his feet as well. "Yeah...I-I guess we did..." He agreed. 

Looking at his long time team member, Keith realized just how much the other male meant to him. The two had been through so much together, and though sometimes they may end up failing, they always managed to find each other again. He now knew how much he needed the other man in his life.  He wondered if Lance felt the same. 

His questions were answered as Lance gave a small laugh and took his hand, leading him out of the cave. "just wait till the others hear about this..." He mused with a far away look, obviously still thinking about the experience himself. The Cuban felt Keith squeeze his hand in reply. 

Neither Lance nor Keith knew where they stood now. Having your whole life rewritten could change how one looked at a lot of things. But one thing was sure, whatever bond the two had was now stronger, fortified as memories of not one, but two lifetimes together ran through their minds. They had remembered, and they had found each other. The world may burn but they would stand hand in hand through it all. In death and in life.


End file.
